"Are you sure you want to attack me, and not the 'me' over there?" - An illusory duplicate of Ezreal Drillun, an indigo trickster.

Indigo Tricksters combine skill, arcane magic, and deadly fighting technique to catch their opponents off-balance and capitalize their foes' lapse in defense to deliver a deadly flurry of blows. Indigo Tricksters love the challenges that adventure brings, and they relish finding unique and inventive ways to use their abilities. Their cunning use of illusion magic sets their opponents up, only to knock them down with a devastating onslaught of steel and arcane might.

GAME RULE INFORMATIONIndigo Tricksters have the following game statistics.Abilities: High Dexterity is most important for an indigo trickster, as the AC, Initiative, and Reflex boosts all greatly synergize with class abilities. A high Strength is also important for indigo tricksters that rely on the stat to hit and deal damage. A good Intelligence makes your invocations harder to resist and also improves your AC. As usual, good Constitution greatly helps an otherwise squishy melee class.Alignment: AnyHit Die: d8Starting Age: As rogue.Starting Gold: As rogue.

CLASS FEATURESAll of the following are class features of the Indigo Trickster:

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: As an indigo trickster, you are proficient with simple weapons, martial melee weapons (including those that can be used as thrown weapons), and light armor, but not with shields.

Invocations: You do not prepare or cast spells as other wielders of arcane magic do. Instead, you possess a repertoire of arcane-based attacks, defenses, and abilities known as invocations. You can use any invocation that you know at will. Unlike the invocations wielded by the warlock or dragonfire adept, your indigo trickster invocations are considered supernatural abilities unless otherwise noted in their description. They are not affected by spell resistance, and you do not provoke attacks of opportunity when you initiate one.

The four grades of invocations, in order of their relative power, are least, lesser, greater, and dark. You begin with knowledge of one invocation, which must be of the lowest grade (least). As you gain levels in this class, you learn new invocations, as summarized on the Table and described below. A list of available invocations, along with their complete descriptions, can be found in the post following this class description.

At any level when you learn a new invocation, you can also replace an invocation you already know with another invocation of the same or a lower grade. At 6th level, you can replace a least invocation you know with a different least invocation. At 11th level, you can replace a least or lesser invocation you know with another invocation of the same or a lower grade. At 16th level, a you can replace a least, lesser, or greater invocation you know with another invocation of the same or a lower grade.

Arcane Surge:The faint blue glow surrounding your weapons begin to grow larger and brighter with each successful strike. As your weapons become engulfed with arcane energy, you suck in the power from them to fuel your devastating attack.

Some of the invocations have two versions: a regular form and a stronger "surge" version. The surge version of an invocation costs a number of surge points to use and adds an extra effect to the invocation. Invocations with a surge cost of X require that you spend a minimum of 1 surge point to activate.

You acquire a surge point with each successful attack that you make with a melee or thrown weapon, which you can then use to fuel your surge invocations. These points are stored until you either expend them or until the end of the encounter. The maximum number of surge points that you can store at a time is one per class level. Surge points disappear after five minutes.

Example: Ezreal is a level 6 indigo trickster and is fighting an orc. He is currently storing 4 surge points. He makes makes a full attack with two daggers against an orc. Three attacks hit, earning him 3 surge points, but he can only store up to 6 points at a time, so he only gains 2 to bring him to 6.

Quick To Act (Ex): You gain a +1 bonus on initiative checks. This bonus increases by 1 at 5th, 10th, and 15th level.

AC Bonus: Starting at 2nd level, you can add your Intelligence modifier as a bonus to Armor Class, so long as you wear light armor, are unencumbered, and do not use a shield. This bonus to AC applies even against touch attacks or when you are flat-footed. However, you lose this bonus when you are immobilized or helpless.

Two-Weapon Fighting (Ex): The path of the indigo tempest teaches how to effectively wield two weapons at once. At 3rd level, you gain Two-Weapon Fighting as a bonus feat even if you do not qualify for the feat. If you already have Two-Weapon Fighting, you may take a feat listed as a fighter bonus feat, so long as you meet all the prerequisites for that feat.

At 6th level, you gain Improved Two-Weapon Fighting as a bonus feat even if you do not qualify for the feat.

At 11th level, you gain Greater Two-Weapon Fighting as a bonus feat even if you do not qualify for the feat.

Lowered Guard (Ex): Cracks in your enemies' defenses appear when you surprise them, which you and your allies can further exploit. Starting at level 4, Enemies that are denied their dexterity bonus by you take a -1 penalty to their AC until the beginning of your next turn. This penalty increases by 1 at level 8, 12, 16, and 20.

Arcane Fission (Su): Your battle-focused arcane abilities allow you to wield your favored weapon in both hands by splitting it into two identical weapons. At level 5, if you're holding a weapon in one hand and nothing in an empty hand, you may create a duplicate of the weapon that forms in your empty hand. This duplicate is made of pure arcane energy but otherwise acts identically like the original weapon, including any enchantments and effects the original weapon has except for any limited use abilities. The weapon is treated as a light weapon when wielded in your off hand. The duplicate weapon dissolves into nothing if it's not in your hand by the end of your round, or immediately if anyone else holds it. Creating a duplicate weapon is a free action.

Trickster's Savvy (Ex): Starting a 7th level, your class level is equivalent to a rogue's for determining whether or not you can flank a creature with the Improved Uncanny Dodge ability (see barbarian PHB p26).

Evasion (Ex): At 7th level, you can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If you make a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals damage on a successful save, you instead take no damage. Evasion can be used only if you are wearing light armor or no armor. If you are helpless, you do not gain the benefit of evasion.

Uncanny Agility (Ex): Beginning at 9th level, you may spend 2 surge points to take an additional swift or immediate action. You may only use this ability once per round.

Impenetrable Illusions (Su): At 13th level, you've developed such skill with the arcane arts that it's nearly impossible to detect your invocations with divination magic. When anyone employs a divination spell, spell-like ability, or magic item (such as detect magic) that may detect the magical aura of one of your invocations, the wielder must make a character level check (DC 11 + your class level) to successfully detect your invocations. Similarly, anyone attempting to use a divination such as see invisibility to reveal the effects of one of your invocations must make a level check to reveal your spell's effects. The divination user can only check once for each diviniation spell used, no matter how many of your invocations are operating in an area.

Improved Evasion (Ex): From 14th level on, you gain the benefit of improved evasion. You still take no damage if you make a successful Reflex save against an attack, and even if you fail the Reflex save, you take only half damage from the attack. If you are helpless, you do not gain the benefit of improved evasion.

Supreme Two-Weapon Fighting (Ex): Beginning at 17th level, you've reached the pinnacle of two-weapon fighting. You get a fourth attack with your offhand weapon, albeit at a -15 penalty.

Arcane Alarcity (Ex): At 20th level, you can supercharge your nerves with arcane power, allowing you to react at unthinkable speed. You may activate this ability as a free action to take additional swift or immediate actions this round. The first additional swift or immediate action costs 2 surge points, with a cumulative cost of 1 surge point per further use of this ability (3 surge points for the second swift immediate action, 4 for the third, etc.). You may only use this ability once per encounter.

You may benefit from prestige classes in the same manner as warlocks. Taking levels in a prestige class that have have “+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class” or “+1 level of existing spellcasting class” grants new invocations known and an increased caster level when using your invocations as though you had gained a level in the indigo trickster class. You do not, however, gain any other indigo trickster class abilities.

You cannot qualify for prestige classes with spellcasting level requirements, as you never actually learns to cast spells. However, prestige classes with caster level requirements are well suited to you. Your caster level for your invocations fulfills this requirement.

Even when you gain levels in a different class, the amount of Arcane Surge points that you can hold grows larger. Determine the maximum number of Arcane Surge points that you can hold at a time by adding your indigo trickster levels + 1/2 your levels in all other classes.

I'm aiming for low/mid tier 3 twf'ing base class. From the standard dual shortswords to the multiple dagger thrower, I feel dual-wielders shouldn't have to jump through so many hoops just to be somewhat comparable to the guy wielding a greatsword.

As it stands, Two Weapon Fighting is almost always a worse option than Two-Handed Weapons. I wanted to fix that by addressing what I feel are key problems with the fighting style:1) Way too feat intensive. Power Attack > TWF + ITWF + GTWF and is less stat-intensive while doing it. So I made those feats free.2) You have to pay double for magic weapons. You only invest in one two-handed weapon but you gotta pay for both of those one-handed weapons. So I made the second one free.3) No incentive to go for two-weapon fighting. Almost nothing out there encourages it, aside from some sneak attack builds that end up being subpar anyway. So I added a mechanic that promotes hitting a lot.

My second goal was to make a fun, fluid class that had interesting abilities which synergized well with each other. A common theme that I've come up with is "Denied Dexterity bonus to AC." This element is keyed to many abilities of the class. The Indigo base classes are basically fighters wielding "blue magic" from Magic the Gathering. They specialize in trickery, and they gain power over opponents when they fall into their traps.

The classes that I mostly compared with were the Duskblade, Warlock, and ToB classes. I immediately knew that I wanted this class to have more invocations known than a warlock -- the base warlock class just has too few currently, as most would agree (though the warlock still has an overall better selection). I didn't want to outdamage a Duskblade, and indeed the Trickster will not do that, as any Duskblade with Power Attack and Arcane Strike will prove. Finally, ToB classes are, generally speaking, have more powerful tools at their disposal for pure combat. In addition, they all hold qualities that the Trickster cannot surpass: Crusader will always be the better tank, Warblade will always be the better damage dealer, and the Swordsage will always be more versatile. On the other hand, the Trickster brings utility abilities that ToB classes cannot replicate. In short, the Trickster is meant to be roughly on par with the ToB classes -- more on the low-end (Swordsage) than the high-end (Warblade) -- but not surpass them.

Invocation List1 Originally printed as a Warlock Invocation in Complete Arcane.2 Originally printed as a Warlock Invocation in Complete Mage.3 Originally printed as a Warlock Invocation in Dragon Magic.4 Originally printed as a Dragonfire Adept Invocation in Dragon Magic.N New Invocation described below.

Least Invocations

All-Seeing Eyes2 - As Comprehend Languages on written material, plus bonus on Search and Spot checks.

You charge your illusion with volatile arcane power just as your opponent destroys it, causing it to explode in a dazzling display of blue energy.

You may use this invocation when one of your figments have been attacked. The illusion creates an explosion with a radius of 10ft. Anyone within this radius is denied their Dexterity bonus to their AC until the beginning of their next round. You and your allies are immune to this effect.

Surge X: The blast radius is increased by X feet , where X is equal to ten times the number of surge points used.

You instantly appear in a square adjacent to a creature that is currently denied its Dexterity bonus to AC. You cannot move into a space that is occupied by a creature or object. If you cannot move adjacent to the target, this invocation fails to function but is considered used.

A duplicate of you exits your body. With a grin, it charges at the enemy.

An illusory duplicate of you springs into being, starting in a square adjacent to yours by "leaving" your body. It acts similarly to a summoned monster, acting immediately, on your turn. You can mentally command it as a free action. The figment can perform any number of basic actions that your character could perform during this round, such as attacking. It cannot, however, mimic any invocations or special class abilities that you may have.

The image uses your land speed for movement and uses your current total attack bonus when attacking. The figment can only make one attack against the target's touch AC. If it hits an opponent with an attack, the attack deals no damage but the opponent is denied its Dexterity bonus to its AC until the beginning of its next turn and the image immediately disappears.

Any successful attack against the image destroys it. The image’s AC is 10 + your size modifier + your Dex modifier. It seems to react normally to area spells (such as looking like it's burned or dead after being hit by a fireball).

You time your strike just when the opponent is caught off-balance, easily piercing his defenses.

For the rest of your turn, you have a +Intelligence modifier attack bonus to attacks against opponents that are denied their Dexterity bonus to AC.

This invocation is an extraordinary ability.

Trick of the EyeInitiation Action: 1 standard actionRange: 30ft.Target: You and one other creatureDuration: InstantaneousSaving Throw: None or Will negates (harmless)

In the blink of an eye, you and your ally seamlessly swap places.

You and a willing ally instantly switch positions. You may also switch positions with one of your figments. If you swap with a figment that is a duplicate of you, the swap is impossible for onlookers to detect.

You charge your illusion with volatile arcane power just as your opponent destroys it, causing it to explode in a dazzling display of blue energy.

You may use this invocation when one of your figments have been destroyed. The illusion creates an explosion with a radius of 10ft. Anyone within this radius take 3d6 damage and is denied their Dexterity bonus to their AC until the beginning of their next round. Reflex save halves this damage. You and your allies are immune to this effect.

Surge 2+: For every 2 surge points spent, the blast damage is increased by +1d6 and the radius is increased by +10ft.

Bait n' SwitchInitiation Action: 1 swift actionRange: 60ft.Target: You and one other creatureDuration: InstantaneousSaving Throw: None or Will negates (harmless)

In the blink of an eye, you and your ally seamlessly swap places.

This ability works as Trick of the Eye, except the range is 60ft. and the initiation action is 1 swift action.

Arcane power engulfs and blurs your body as you charge forward in the form of a wave of blue energy crashing down on your opponent.

You initiate this invocation as part of a charge attack. Instead of making a single attack at the end of your charge, you can make a full attack. The bonus on your attack roll for making a charge attack applies to all your attacks.

You cannot use a swift action in the same turn that you use this invocation.

Surge X: Your charge is not impeded by difficult terrain, or even other creatures, as you crash through any opposition in your pure arcane form. Any creature whose square you enter during the charge are denied their Dexterity bonus to AC until the beginning of their next turn and take Xd6 damage, where X is equal to the number of surge points used. Reflex save DC halves this damage and negates the Dexterity loss.

You quickly summon a disc of arcane energy in front of you, knocking away the oncoming attack.

You gain a deflection bonus to AC equal to half your class level (minimum +1) against a single attack, regardless of the source (physical, magical, psionic, etc.), that is targeting you. This bonus applies even against touch attacks of if you're flat-footed. You can choose to use this invocation after an opponent resolves his attack but before he determines damage.

You time your strike just when the opponent is caught off-balance, easily piercing his defenses.

For the rest of your turn, you have a +Intelligence modifier attack bonus to attacks against opponents that are denied their Dexterity bonus to AC. In addition, these attacks are also resolved as touch attacks.

You instantly appear in a square adjacent to a creature that is currently denied its Dexterity bonus to AC. You cannot move into a space that is occupied by a creature or object. If you cannot move adjacent to the target, this invocation fails to function but is considered used.

Two duplicates of you exit your body. With a grin, they charge at the enemy.

This invocation works as Phantom Assailant, except two figments are produced instead of one. These figments may also use your BAB to determine how many attacks they can make, instead of being limited to just one.

You instantly appear in a square adjacent to a creature that is currently denied its Dexterity bonus to AC. You cannot move into a space that is occupied by a creature or object. If you cannot move adjacent to the target, this invocation fails to function but is considered used. You may only use this invocation once per round.

You quickly summon a disc of arcane energy in front of you, knocking away the oncoming attack.

You gain a deflection bonus to AC equal to half your class level (minimum +1) against a single attack, regardless of the source (physical, magical, psionic, etc.), that is targeting you. This bonus applies even against touch attacks of if you're flat-footed. You can choose to use this invocation after an opponent resolves his attack but before he determines damage.

Surge 3: If you avoid the attack, you instead redirect the attack back at the opponent with an additional +4 attack bonus to hit. Use the same attack roll that was used against you to resolve this attack. Unlike the regular version of Deflection, if you use this surge ability you must announce the use of the invocation before the opponent resolves his attack.

You and target creature instantly swap positions. The movement is instantaneous and does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Furthermore, you and the target creature come under the effect of a glamer that makes you look exactly like the other person. The swap is impossible for onlookers to detect by sight alone. The invocation does not alter the perceived tactile (touch) or audible (sound) properties of either of you or your equipments.

A creature that ineracts with the glamer gets a Will save to recognize it as an illusion. For example, a creature that touched you and realized that the tactile sensation did not match the visual one would be entitled to such a save.

This glamer lasts for 10 minutes per class level, or until you dismiss it.

Wave of ConfusionInitiation Action: 1 standard actionRange: 25ft. +5ft./lvlEffect: One or more knivesDuration: See textSaving Throw: Will negates

With one fluid sweep of your hands, you send spectral daggers hurtling towards your foes' minds and infecting them with madness.

An spectral dagger materializes in front of you before you send it flying at your off-balanced foes. You may only use this ability on targets that are currently denied their Dexterity bonus to AC.

The dagger requires a ranged touch attack to hit. If it hits, the target must make a Will save or be affected as the confusion spell.

Surge X: You may fire an additional spectral dagger per surge point used. Each dagger requires its own ranged touch attack. The daggers may be fired at the same or different targets, but all daggers must be aimed at targets within 30 feet of each other and fire simultaneously.

Your foe charges towards you, only to come face to face with its own image charging back at him.

You create a pseudo-real duplicate of your target. The illusion is an exact copy of the original (at the time of casting) in all regards except otherwise noted here: It does not retain any supernatural abilities or class abilities, though it does retain any extraordinary abilities that the original has. The illusion's AC is 10 + your size modifier + your Dex modifier. It has half the total HP of the original.

The illusion appears where you designate and acts immediately, on your turn. It attacks your opponents to the best of its ability. You can mentally command it as a free action and, therefore, you can direct it not to attack, to attack particular enemies, or to perform other actions.

You can never have more than one figment created by this invocation at a time. If a second figment is created with his invocation, the first figment disappears.

Surge 4: The figment instead uses the same AC and HP as the original. In addition, it gains a bonus to its attack and damage rolls equal to your Intelligence modifier.

Fool's BaneInitiation Action: 1 standard actionRange: see textTarget: One or more creaturesDuration: Instantaneous

An illusory duplicate of you appears beside each of your off-balanced foes, mercilessly cutting them down while they're vulnerable.

For each opponent currently affected by your Lowered Guard ability, a figment appears anywhere within a 20ft. radius of them and immediately makes a full attack against your target. The figment uses your gear and statistics to determine what weapons it uses for this attack, how many attacks are made, what attack bonus it uses, and how much damage is dealt. The damage is resolved as pure arcane damage, which is not subject to any resistances, immunities, or DR. The figments disappear immediately after completing their attack.

You quickly summon a disc of arcane energy in front of you, knocking away the oncoming attack.

You gain a deflection bonus to AC equal to half your class level (minimum +1) against a single attack, regardless of the source (physical, magical, psionic, etc.), that is targeting you. This bonus applies even against touch attacks of if you're flat-footed. You also gain a luck bonus to your Reflex, Fortitude, and Will saves equal to half your class level (minimum +1). You can choose to use this maneuver after an opponent resolves his attack but before he determines damage.

Surge 4: If you avoid the attack, you retaliate against the assailant with an onslaught of arcane power. A downward slash through the air at your opponent sends a tidal wave of blue arcane energy towards him. This tidal wave is a line whose length reaches from you to the opponent. The target, along anything in the way of the line's path, takes 15d6 damage and is stunned for 1d4 rounds. A successful Reflex save halves this damage and negates the stun.